There is a continual need in the food agricultural industry for a variety of fungicidal methods which are useful to the public. The fungicidal method of this invention utilizes compounds which are derivatives of 2-acylacetanilide.
There are various anilides which are useful in fungicidal methods. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,696, entitled "Fungicidal Acyl Anilides", assigned to Ciba-Geigy Corp., dated Jan. 24, 1984, acyl anilides useful as microbicides are disclosed. They are preferably used for combating phytopathogenic fungi.
Collection Czechoslov. Chem. Commun., Vol. 44, pages 1460-1467 (1979), discloses derivatives of pivaloylacetanilide which are used as couplers and which are chromogenously developed in the preparation of azomethine dyestuffs in gelatin layer.
PCT application C07C 103/375, A01N 37/42, Priority date Oct. 28, 1986, published May 5, 1988, by the Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich., entitled "Fungicidal 4-monohalogenacetoacetanilide" discloses 4-monohalogenacetacetanilides having a fungicidal use.
Other compounds which appear to be similar to the compounds of the invention are found in Japanese Application Number 76589/73 dated Jul. 9, 1973, Laid-Open Number 24441/75, Laid-Open Date: Mar. 15, 1975, by Permachem Asia, entitled "Sterile Composition" which discloses a sterile composition for non-medical use comprising as an active ingredient a compound represented by general formula: ##STR2## wherein X represents a halogen atom or a thiocyano group; R represents an alkyl group or a phenyl group; and R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group. This publication teaches the use of compounds of the above formula as agents for preventing slime or moulds in paper making steps, antimould agents of pulp, antiseptic and antimould agents for paints, oils for treating fibers, antiseptics, bacteriocides for seeds in agricultural use, etc. Particularly, Example 2 discloses .alpha.-iodoacetoacetanilide being mixed with wheat starch in a concentration of 0.02%. This mixture was allowed to stand in an incubator at 35 (.degree.C.) for a month. To the contrary, where no chemical was added, mould generated 3 days after and 7 days after, so that the whole surface was covered with mould. This publication does not disclose testing of the compounds for fungicidal activity on a broad range of phytopathogenic fungi. Therefore, it is not known that these compounds exhibit any fungicidal activity on any fungus other than that found in wheat starch.